Grant Abstract

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): "Nutritional Immunology: Its impact on Health and Disease" was selected by FASEB as a 2011 summer research conference to be held in Carefree, AZ, July 10-15. This meeting is organized around understanding mechanisms of how nutrition can play a role in altering the immune function in diseases such as obesity, neurodegeneration, asthma, gastrointestinal diseases and infectious disease. Sessions will include talks on cutting edge immunological research and techniques, including T cell memory, systems biology approaches, metabolic function of immune cells, next generation massively parallel sequencing, and lipodomics. By bringing together not only individuals working in the field of nutritional immunology, but also experts in immunology and biochemistry, we can begin to develop multidisciplinary studies to address complex issues of the modulation of human health by diet. Our first specific aim will be to better understand the mechanisms whereby host nutritional status can influence such diseases as obesity, diabetes, aging, inflammation, GI disorders, infectious disease, and asthma. The second specific aim is to expose participants to advances in other fields that can be applied to nutritional immunology. And finally, specific aim 3 is to promote interactions within the group of assembled investigators to develop an exchange of ideas and expertise and to develop collaborative projects, There has not been a major national meeting in nutritional immunology since 2007 and therefore we expect an attendance of 120-140 individuals. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This conference has high public health relevance. Understanding the mechanism(s) by which host nutritional status can influence the immune response in such diseases as obesity, GI disorders, diabetes, asthma, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases, will aid us in identifying nutritional immunotherapies that can help prevent/treat these diseases.